Lachie Neale and Alex Forster have been friends for so long, they can’t even remember when and where they first met.
The pair look at each other and try to deduce how long they’ve been mates.
“I think it’s been about eight years,” Neale says to Forster, who nods and says: “Yeah, probably eight or nine years.”
The pair have a tendency to finish or add to each other’s sentences.
Both were born in a small town called Naracoorte, about three-and-a-half-hours drive from Adelaide.
“It’s a nice little place of about 10,000 people,” Forster says. “I spent the first 14 years of my life there and have some really good memories of the place.”
Neale lived on a farm, just a bit out of town, until he was also 14.
Of the three choices of primary schools in Naracoorte, the boys attended different institution.
It was in tiny Kybybolite, affectionately and more comfortably for the tongue known as ‘Kyby’, where their football journey together began.
A small settlement just 20km from Naracoorte with a population of about 500 people, Kybee is your typical outback Australian town.
It has some farms, a few houses, a post office and a footy oval where the cars tooting their horns after every goal can sometimes outnumber the spectators on the banks.
Neale says if he had to paint a picture of the place, it wouldn’t be very big.
Neale started playing for Kybee Football Club when he was 10, and Forster, whose father was coaching the A-Grade at the time, a year later.
But it wasn’t until the under 14s that the pair ended up in the same team, and success soon followed.
In 2004 and 2005, Neale and Forster enjoyed premierships together in a Kyby team that was captained by Naracoorte boy and current Melbourne skipper Jack Trengove.
“There was actually four on the trot and we played in a couple of them,” Forster says.
“It was a pretty handy side.”
“Yeah, I was forward pocket and Alex back pocket, so we didn’t get much of a go,” Neale adds.
Jack Trengove (left), Lachie Neale (middle) and Alex Forster (right) in the Kyby 14s in 2005.There must be something in the water in Kybee considering three players from one junior team made it to the top level of the game. Another of Freo’s 2011 draftees, Cam Sutcliffe, is also from Naracoorte.
Following the Kybee years, Neale and Forster moved to Adelaide where both wound up as members of South Australia’s state under 18s side in 2011. Forster gained All Australian selection for his efforts off half-back.
The night before the 2011 National Draft, Neale and Forster joked about ending up at the same club.
“We didn’t think it would actually happen,” Forster says.
On draft day, the pair hung out, playing FIFA soccer on the Play Station 3 until about an hour before the first player’s name was called out at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. They abandoned the button bashing and parted ways to join their families and friends back home, eyes glued to their television sets.
Neale was surprised when he heard Sam Kerridge’s name called out by the Adelaide Crows at pick 27.
“I thought the Crows were definitely going to take Alex at 27 and then that didn’t happen,” he says.
“I knew he was going to go soon after that.
“So when Freo called his name out at 29, all my family, because we know his family pretty well, just jumped up and were pretty excited for him.”
But after the commotion died down, Neale refocussed his attention to the TV in angst.
Twenty-eight picks passed by and still nothing.
“I thought I might have been in a bit of strife,” Neale says.
With pick 58, the Fremantle Dockers made Neale theirs and, in doing so, ensured his journey would continue on the same path as his best mate’s.
“We knew Freo were interested in both of us,” Forster says.
“We’d had interviews with them and, when I was selected by Freo, there was all the celebrations, but then I settled down to see where Lach was going to go.
“I remember when his name got called out there was about 30 people in my house watching and everyone just went nuts. Everyone was just screaming for about 10 minutes straight.
“It was intense and it didn’t sink in for a fair while.”
Forster tried to call his old teammate who was now his new teammate, but couldn’t get through.
“I was pretty excited and my family was going nuts and quickly realised that Alex and I were at the same club, so my phone was going pretty nuts,” Neale says.
Forster eventually got through.
“We spoke for about five minutes, pretty much yelling and crying. It was awesome,” he says.
That wasn’t the only call the boys took that night.
“We got a phone call from Matthew Pavlich,” Forster says.
“That was just freaky, picking up the phone and hearing ‘G’day it’s Matthew Pavlich here’.
“That helped it sink in a little bit and then you’re getting texts from David Mundy and Nick Lower. It was an amazing experience.”
Neale and Forster both regarded fellow South Australian Pavlich as an inspiration growing up.
“I think South Australians still reckon he is theirs,” Forster says.
“Pav is seen as one of the games’ greats. He’s been in Perth for 13 years now and he’s been one of the best players to play the game.”
Upon arriving at Fremantle headquarters, the star struck youngsters couldn’t help but be in awe of their new workplace.
“You walk in and you see these stars - Pav, Aaron Sandilands, David Mundy,” Neale says.
“And just how big the organisation is,” Forster adds.
“It’s not just the blokes on the playing list. There are people everywhere and it shows you just how much work goes into an AFL club.”
Neale and Forster are intensely competitive against each other.
“Every single thing we do we try and beat each other,” Forster says.
Whether it’s basketball as youngsters, in which Forster made the state team, table tennis, or FIFA on the PS3, neither likes to lose to the other.
Neale admits Forster has him beat at hoops, while FIFA is split down the middle.
“But I beat him in table tennis so that’s all that matters,” Neale says with a cheeky smile.
When it comes to the sport that matters - Aussie Rules -both boys are surprisingly humble, giving the other credit.
“It’s really hard to say, probably Fors,” Neale says.
“I reckon I took a little longer to find my feet. I didn’t quite play as good footy as Lach,” Forster replies.
“I reckon he’s been pretty solid all the way through.”
While they’ve played juniors, state, been drafted and now live together, Neale and Forster have also been allocated to the same WAFL club - Swan Districts.
Both would rather be playing in a purple jumper come the weekends, however.
“I just want to play some consistent footy, wherever that may be,” Neale says.
“If that’s at Swans then I’ll try and crack into the Freo side and hopefully I can debut this year.”
If, and when, these two young South Australians play in the same team for the Fremantle Dockers, it will add to an amazing journey together that began... well, they don’t remember when it began.
All that matters is they’re still in it together.
